Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Thelma & Louise 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 1, 2023

Ridley Scott's "Thelma & Louise" (1991) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with Ridley Scott; new program with screenwriter Callie Khouri; two archival audio commentaries; multiple archival featurettes; deleted and extended scenes; promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

“Somebody said get a life… so they did.” This famous quote from Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise is supposed to be placing everything that happens in it in a proper context. It does, but the ‘proper context’ is not the one that mainstream critics have been promoting over the years.

Somewhere in Arkansas. Best friends Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) have agreed to temporarily pause the misery that has corroded their lives. The trick that would allow them to do it is a simple one -- they would go on a short fishing trip and enjoy each other’s company.

On the way to their chosen destination, the two friends can barely contain their excitement. However, Thelma’s excitement borders a state of euphoria because she has left without asking her abusive husband for permission to go on the trip. The big and bold move has unexpectedly helped Thelma regain her strength as a woman. Louise has not asked anyone for permission because she is single and makes enough as a waitress to be independent.

In the middle of nowhere, Thelma and Louise decide to have a few drinks in an overcrowded bar. Feeling buzzed, Thelma agrees to dance with a stranger, who turns out to be a seasoned sexual predator hunting for his next victim. Later, in a quiet corner of the bar's parking lot, after the stranger attempts to rape Thelma, Louise pulls out a gun and shoots him dead. Instead of waiting for the police to arrive, however, Thelma and Louise then jump into their car and disappear in the thick shadows of the night.

Soon after, the two friends decide to cross into Mexico and begin a new life there. Louise contacts Jimmy (Michael Madsen), her on-again-off-again lover, who agrees to withdraw her savings and make it available to her without asking questions, but a handsome thief (Brad Pitt) steals the precious cash and complicates the already difficult getaway plan even more. Meanwhile, Detective Slocumb (Harvey Keitel) begins investigating the murder of the stranger from the bar, tracks down the fugitives, and attempts to convince them to turn around and surrender.

Despite receiving terrific reviews from virtually all mainstream critics, Thelma & Louise is so badly mismanaged that it effectively destroys the integrity of its message, which is supposed to legitimize its story. But this is hardly surprising because instead of introducing authentic characters Scott floods Thelma & Louise with cinematic cliches of the most simplistic kind. This is the reason all developments in it very quickly begin to look like staged acts in a surreal play as well. The male participants are the worst performers in this play. They are one-dimensional characters with astonishingly low IQs, dirty minds, and the vocabulary of a sixth-grader.

In a crucial scene, Louise reveals that years ago another sexual predator attempted to rape her in Texas. The scar has permanently altered her view of men and her ability to trust them, which is why in another scene she turns down a belated but most sincere marriage proposal from her boyfriend. While leaving a trail of destruction, the fugitives then take an alternate route to Mexico but eventually get cornered at the Grand Canyon, where they choose the easy way out.

Scott's camera produces many striking panoramic visuals and they are the only strength of Thelma & Louise. A decent soundtrack created by Hans Zimmer often compliments the visuals.

*Even though the film attempts to convince that the events in the final sequence take place at the Grand Canyon, they were shot at Dead Horse Point State Park, which is located in Utah.

Thelma & Louise 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Thelma & Louise is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray disc is Region-A "locked".

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this release:

"This new digital transfer was created from the 35mm original camera negative, which was scanned in 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered from the original LCRS magnetic track. On the 4K Blu-ray disc, the feature is presented in Dolby Vision HDR (high dynamic range). On the Blu-ray, it is presented in SDR (standard dynamic range).

Mastering supervisors: Lee Kline, Ridley Scott.
Colorist: Stephen Nakamura/Company 3, Santa Monica, CA."

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-23 are from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #26-32 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

If you have seen this release MGM produced in 2011, which was sourced from a 4K master, you will have a pretty good idea what to expect from this upcoming 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. In native 4K, I think that the main discrepancies in quality are in two key areas and both have something to do with the new Dolby Vision/HDR grades. In 1080p, I do not think that there are meaningful enough discrepancies in quality that the majority of viewers will appreciate. I viewed the entire film in native 4K with Dolby Vision and tested a few areas with HDR. I sampled large areas of the 1080p presentation.

The native 4K presentation produces big improvements in the dynamic range of the visuals and color reproduction, which is hardly surprising. For example, the visuals look lusher, with some of the most noticeable upgrades emerging in darker footage where shadow nuances and complex highlights are reproduced substantially better. (See footage around the 1:33.15 mark). Predictably, delineation, clarity, and depth benefit as well, though it must be said that they are very pleasing in 1080p as well. In native 4K, fluidity is improved as well, so all of the chase footage in the final act of the film, for instance, will look better on your system if you perform a direct comparison with the 1080p presentation of it.
The expanded color palette of the 4K presentation supplies the remaining big improvements. I would say that the superior supporting nuances make the crucial difference, especially in dusk/dark/nighttime footage, but some viewers may disagree and point out that the primaries perform significantly better. However, the current color grade produces stronger than needed teal/teal nuances that introduce a notably cooler temperature for various sections of the film, which I do not think is the exact theatrical color temperature of these sections. Obviously, this is how Scott prefers them to look now because the same cooling effect was present on the MGM release as well. The rest is great. Image stability is outstanding. There are no traces of problematic image surface work -- grain is wonderfully exposed and resolved. The entire film looks spotless as well. My score is 3.75/5.00.

Thelma & Louise 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The 5.1 track is outstanding. Clarity, sharpness, and especially depth were superb on my system. In fact, I thought that the chase footage at Grand Canyon performed better than much of the action footage very recent blockbusters have produced. The dialog is always clear, sharp, stable and easy to follow. There are no traces of age-related anomalies.

Thelma & Louise 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Ridley Scott in 1996.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, and screenwriter Callie Khouri in 2001.

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Ridley Scott in 1996.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, and screenwriter Callie Khouri in 2001.

• Ridley Scott: Beginnings - in this exclusive new program, Ridley Scott discusses his background -- with some wonderful comments about how he fell in love with American cinema and culture while living with his family in post-war Germany -- and the evolution of his career in the film industry, as well as the production of Thelma & Louise. Also, there are some quite interesting comments about Paramount's reception of The Duellists and Scott's frustration with it. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Short Films - presented here are two early short films directed by Ridley Scott.
  
  1. Boy and Bicycle - this short film was shot in 1965 in West Hartlepool and Seaton Carew, England. Ridley Scott's younger brother, Tony Scott, can be seen in it. Remastered. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).
  
  2. Ploughman - in 1958, Ridley Scott and Tony Scott founded Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), a film and commercial production company. This ad for Guinness was made for RSA and released in 1977. Fully restored. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Callie Khouri - in this exclusive new program, screenwriter Callie Khouri discusses the genesis of the original screenplay for Thelma & Louise. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• "Thelma & Louise": The Last Journey - this archival documentary examines the conception, production, and reception of Thelma & Louise, It features clips from interviews with Ridley Scott, screenwriter Callie Khouri, Susan Sarandon, Prad Pitt, Michael Madsen, and composer Hasn Zimmer, among others. The commentary was produced in 2001. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Part One: Conception and Casting. (20 min).
  2. Part Two: Production and Performance. (25 min).
  3. Part Three: Reaction and Resonance. (15 min).

• Original Theatrical Featurette - this archival featurette focuses on the production of Thelma & Louise and features clips from interviews with Ridley Scott, Geena Davis, and Susan Sarandon, as well as raw footage from on-location shooting. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Extended Scenes - in English, not subtitled. (34 min).
  
  1. Extended Ending.
  2. Extended Ending with Director's commentary.
  3. First Motel.
  4. Talkin' 'Bout Darryl.
  5. Hal on the Case.
  6. Second Motel.
  7. Thelma and J.D.
  8. Looking for a Break.

• Storyboards: The Final Chase - this program features Ridley Scott's storyboards for the film's final sequence.
  
  1. Ridley Scott: Storyboarding the Ending. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).
  2. Storyboards. Presented with music. (5 min).

• Deleted Scenes - in English, not subtitled. (15 min).
  
  1. Sillver Bullet Getaway.
  2. An Important Clue.
  3. Police Sketches.
  4. Smitten with J.D.
  5. Human Behavior.
  6. Hal at Home.
  7. Jimmy, J.D., and the Law.
  8. Fear of God.
  9. On the Road.
  10. Hot Pursuit.

• Publicity Materials - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Original Theatrical Trailer. (3 min).
  2. "Wanted" TV Spot. (1 min).
  3. "Call of the Wild" TV Spot. (1 min).
  4. TV Promo Spot. (1 min).

• Music Video - presented here is a music video for Glenn Frey's "Part of Me, Part of You", which is included on the soundtrack for Thelma & Louise. (5 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated booket featuring an essay by critics Jessica Kiang and Rachel Syme and journalist Rebecca Traister, as well as technical credits.

Thelma & Louise 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A man has a disastrous experience with a woman. For the rest of his life, he sees all women around him as untrustworthy and deeply manipulative, at times even as dangerous opponents. How would you describe this man, his philosophy of life? And how would you characterize the manufactured reality where he is entrapped? Do not answer yet. Book a trip to Thelma and Louise's reality, a place where all men are dishonest, thieving, abusive, bigoted, and often dangerous creatures. Observe Thelma and Louise's behavior, listen to their exchanges, and evaluate their plan to exit this strange reality -- permanently. Ridley Scott's film is an often strikingly beautiful but hilariously poor attempt at pandering to the most radical incarnation of contemporary feminism. Ironically, its inability to be even remotely objective does so much damage to the cause it sets out to support that it begins to look like Scott's real goal was to satirize its undeniable flaws. Criterion's upcoming 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack presents a 4K restoration of Thelma & Louise that was supervised by Scott. While often attractive, this restoration does not accurately revive the film's original theatrical appearance. If you are a fan of the film and wish to have the release in your collection, I suggest that you find a way to test it first before considering a purchase.